Niccolo Machiavelli was not only one of the ancestorial-fathers of political science, but also remains incredibly relevant and insightful on so many topics of politics and power. In his discourses, advising the prince, he talks about a ‘bad prince’ in his reflections on republics, or popular governments, versus those governed by princes, who are hereditary … Continue reading Bad Prince Putin
democracy
Sad News for Comedy
As an American in Britain, I have found one of the most endearing traits of Britons, and people living in Britain generally, is their ability to laugh at themselves. They don’t take themselves so seriously that they can't see “what fools" we "mortals" can be. So how sad to learn in today’s paper that “Mock … Continue reading Sad News for Comedy
The Democratic Value of the Filibuster
The Democratic Value of the Filibuster The filibuster was not invented to serve some lasting and critical role in democratic governance, but unintentionally, it does perform that function. The filibuster is a structure – one rule of the game in American politics - that plays a powerful role in supporting more stable democracy. And it is … Continue reading The Democratic Value of the Filibuster
The Fragile Beauty of Democracy: The Iowa Caucuses
I watched the Iowa caucuses on Monday, February 3, 2020, from the UK. Good coverage came from a remote caucus in Florida – one of Iowa’s 87 satellite caucuses – in addition to 1,678 precinct caucuses. In that particular satellite caucus, Iowa voters, sunbirds residing during the winter months in Florida, seemed to be in … Continue reading The Fragile Beauty of Democracy: The Iowa Caucuses
Has Brexit Broken Parliament? No. This is Democracy!
The frustration of so many people over the machinations of the UK Parliament during the debates and votes over Brexit is understandable. So it is not surprising to see article after article, and opinion pieces piled on one another about how parliament, if not democracy itself, is broken. The GuardianJournal on 16 March notes: ‘Brexit … Continue reading Has Brexit Broken Parliament? No. This is Democracy!
Polarization is Not the Problem: A Post-Civic Culture
Increasingly, the dilemmas facing politics in the United States if not worldwide are being portrayed as outcomes of polarization. It is an attractive topic for discussion, because there is undeniably a great deal of polarization, if defined as wildly different (polar opposite) viewpoints on one or more issues. Moreover, it seems to be tied to … Continue reading Polarization is Not the Problem: A Post-Civic Culture
Fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles: Underresearched and overhyped: as appeared in The Conversation
Fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles: Underresearched and overhyped Don’t panic: An international survey finds concerns about fake news are overblown. studiostoks/shutterstock.com William H. Dutton, Michigan State University In the early years of the internet, it was revolutionary to have a world of information just a click away from anyone, anywhere, anytime. Many hoped … Continue reading Fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles: Underresearched and overhyped: as appeared in The Conversation
A Plea to Moderators of the US Presidential Debates
A Plea to Moderators of the US Presidential Debates and their Media Organizations Lessons can be learned from this year’s primary debates and applied to enhance the value of the forthcoming US Presidential Debates, beginning on September 26th, 2016. The major lessons include the following: Moderators should aim to generate a debate between the candidates, … Continue reading A Plea to Moderators of the US Presidential Debates
Voting for Senator Bernie Sanders
There is nothing inevitable about Bernie Sanders winning the Democratic Party nomination and the 2016 Presidential election. He is not an heir to a political dynasty. He was supported by no more than 2 percent of the American voting public as recently as ten months ago. As I write, he remains behind Secretary Clinton in … Continue reading Voting for Senator Bernie Sanders
Stop the Televised Debates and Shift to the Internet
The Republican debates are about to occur on television in ways that will provide an unfair advantage to the chosen ten, and undermine the campaign of at least six other candidates. Exposure of lesser known candidates on televised debates can make a significant difference.* Since there are viable alternatives to television determining the fate of … Continue reading Stop the Televised Debates and Shift to the Internet